Despite the massive protests in Madison, it is unclear how long the pro-union surge will last. |
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Meanwhile, it’s not entirely clear whether all of those being mobilized by the protests — 100,000 pro-union demonstrators jammed into the streets of Madison on Saturday, rivaling the biggest tea party gathering last fall — are happy with the president.

Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, the nation’s largest nurses union told The Associated Press that Obama has been “largely a bystander” in Wisconsin, adding, “We’re feeling a sense of betrayal from him and not liking it much.”

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In 2007, Obama told a pro-union audience, “If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I’m in the White House, I’ll put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself.” He added, “I’ll walk on that picket line with you.”

While Obama has repeatedly expressed his support for the unions’ collective bargaining rights, he’s rebuffed direct appeals to appear in Wisconsin to back the protests and his press secretary, Jay Carney, has suggested his earlier promise wasn’t intended to be taken literally.

At first, it appeared that the president’s team was jumping into the Wisconsin fray. But Obama’s operatives have quietly pulled back an effort by his campaign arm, Organizing for America, to provide logistical support for the Wisconsin protesters, according to Democrats.

Last Thursday, Wisconsin Senate Majoity Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a pro-Walker Republican, told Fox News that some of the activists filing recall petitions against the GOP have “direct links” to Obama. He also said Obama is stoking the crisis forced the president is keen on aiding labor groups in the state so they can deliver for Democrats in 2012.

Another Republican state senator, Randy Hopper, echoed those remarks, saying, “There’s absolutely no question this is an issue for 2012.”

Carney said he had no idea what the Republicans were talking about.

As for 2012, Obama’s story line will be that he’s the only person capable of standing between moderate voters and an increasingly radical crop of tea-party-backed Republicans.

And the operatives organizing his 2012 campaign are not especially worried about winning labor votes. For all the hand-wringing among some labor leaders, Obama has been a consistent defender of basic collective bargaining rights.

Meanwhile, union leaders and progressive groups say they are seeing a spike in enthusiasm they haven’t witnessed since the halcyon hope-and-change days of Obama’s 2008 campaign. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has collected $750,000 for its Wisconsin effort so far, and MoveOn.org raised about $350,000 in the 24 hours after Walker signed the rollback of collective bargaining rights for public employee benefits.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman posted a photo of this weekend’s rally on his blog Sunday with the caption: “The big question about Wisconsin has been whether the controversy would just fade away, or whether it would serve as a rallying cry for an extended period. If yesterday’s crowds were any indication, this is a long way from over.”

The American taxpayer is sick n tired of this cozy warm corrupt relationship between the Democrat Party and Public Unions where the Unions get sweeetheart contracts in exchange for Kickbacks in the form of donations and votes..................that's UNBELIEVABLE......

And if the MSM wolfpack press thinks their going to push a "lying and misleading narrartive" on this story like they do regarding Romney's popular State HCplan being modeled after Obamacare with 38% approval, very unpopular, well...................their wrong.

Americans see this as it really is..............."Open Corruption" being conducted between the Democrat Party and Public Unions..........aka......................FLEECING the American taxpayer......

And our MSM wolfpack press what's their role ?........................"the enablers of this lie and corrupt practice"

Add reforming the 4th Branch to the long list of things we need to fix in 2012...............Romney/ Rubio 2012............."time to fix Ameirca.........."

" The American Taxpayer is sick n tired". Speak for yourself. This American Taxpayer, like most Wisconsin Taxpayers, supported the unions in the current fight there. The country needs to have a strong middle class for its overall economic health. It's not only shameful, but downright stupid, that people like the Governor of Wisconsin are trying to destroy the only remaining remnant of the middle class who were NOT devastated by the recession.

Wonder if the journolisters at politico will EVER inform their readers of the real story? Union thugs in bed with dem politicians..."Sign this sweetheart deal and the union will deliver votes for you.". That's the bottom line.

I've been to a few Media tea party riots. Noisy. Opinionated. But never violent. No public property destroyed. No public officials threatened - except at the ballot box. Where is the President and our vaunted media? Violent mobs in Madison, for now. Later? But I'm not holding my breath.

I'd like to know what the polls say about the unions terrorizing the leglislators and their families who stayed behind to do their jobs as elected by the people. I'd also like to see the polls taken about the people who have done their best to destroy the capitol building and the grounds surrounding that beautiful building.

I'll bet those numbers are not so good..which is why we are not seeing them on Politico and other liberal news sites.

Implicit in this article is the supposition that Obama must support and encourage the many death threats to Republican legislators that have emerge from the ranks of the union demonstrators. After all, he is the "they bring a knife, we bring a gun" President. Nothing says "get in their faces" like a death threat!

“It’s going to cost a lot of money and time to get all the signatures necessary for these recalls and local elections,” said one high-ranking labor official and Obama supporter.

“We have a finite amount of resources — we’re not like corporations,” said the official, who played a role in Obama’s 2008 get-out-the-vote operation. “You have to make decisions about where you put your money, and that could have an impact on how much unions will be able to do for Obama or any other candidates running for office. It’s a matter of setting priorities.”

Unions spent more in the last election cycle than any other group. Your resources come from dues, not from producing a product for a profit. You are not constrained by stock holders who demand dividends, or require growth.

One thing unions will have to overcome is the image of members of the party they have paid for breaking their oath of office, and abandoning their jobs.

They will have to explain why people should not be concerned when a public employee union attempts to control of the function of a state government.

yes, it looks like it will be obumbler and the corrupt unions against the american people in 2012! bring it on, the taxpayers/voters have had enough of the gravy train public unions and Obumblers thuggery politics. this could be over before it gets started and the american people will win and socialism will loose.

yes, it looks like it will be obumbler and the corrupt unions against the american people in 2012! bring it on, the taxpayers/voters have had enough of the gravy train public unions and Obumblers thuggery politics. this could be over before it gets started and the american people will win and socialism will loose.

The Republicans are stockpiling a lot of politically losing issues for 2012. Poll after poll shows most Americans are against the Republican attempt to destroy unions (or at least their collective bargaining power). I don't think most American voters will like a Republican candidate who cries we're broke and claims he's for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and for more corporate welfare and yet cries against pensions for lowly public servants.

I would venture a guess that of the "100,000 protesters" only 100 of them lived in Wisconsin! The remainder are Obama's Organizer thugs from Chicago and Illinois. Why can't the media speak the truth???? Gov. Walker did the right thing, the gravy train stops now, it is breaking the back of honest, tax-paying Americans.